Your Azure Eyes
by Foxterr
Summary: AU. Kaoru is a famous model whose face has never been seen by the public. She soon finds her life turned upside down when she runs into a man shrouded in as much mystery as herself. What will he do when Kaoru is kidnapped by a serial killer?
1. To See

Author's Note: My first Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic! YAY! Okay, well… I'm working on this one. I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of it. Is it a good one, or a flop? I won't know unless you REVIEW! Please review so that I know that people are reading this. Reviews tend to… help me think. Lol. Okay, now that I've got that out of my system. Enjoy this new story!

Disclaimer: I've regretting not buying Rurouni Kenshin every day of my little life…

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 1: To See

"Okay, Love, turn your head this way. That's it…" The dark haired man spoke softly as he took the woman's chin gently in his hand and changed the angle at which she held her head. "Wonderful," he breathed. A smile came to his face as he took out a comb and began to brush the silky strands of raven hair in front of the woman's face. Once this task was completed, he stepped back, admiring her with a contented sigh.

            "Perfect," He praised, gazing over her perfect form. She stood in front of an ocean back round, modeling an expensive red bikini, which had been painstakingly made and fitted just for her.

            Kamiya Kaoru sighed slightly as the man; her photographer stepped back to his camera and began rapidly taking pictures. The two strings on each side of the two-piece irritated her skin terribly, and the top part was too small, causing her bust to bulge out the top. But as always, Kaoru held her tongue. It wasn't as if she'd ever have to wear the awful thing again. And besides, this was The Look.

            Kaoru knew well the ways of the world. Just as doctors must keep themselves up to date on the latest medical information, fashion models had to stay in touch with the all-powerful "Look." If you weren't 'in' then you were out. Of course… she also knew that her job was hardly comparable to that of a doctor's. People's lives were not at stake if she wore the wrong outfit… though sometimes she wondered if some of her fans wouldn't just keel over and die, they were so addicted.

            "Okay then, done!" Ramone called from behind the camera. Kaoru smiled at him as she brushed the strands of hair out of her face and placed them behind her ear. The photographer walked up to her, placing a loving (yet platonic) kiss on her cheek.

            "You're doing wonderful! These pictures are going into Vicky's summer magazine next month," He smiled even wider at her, "They paid you nearly double of what they did last year. Just show's how much your career has taken off!"

            "Yeah… It's like they strapped her to a rocket," A gruff voice came from the breakfast table.

            "Sano!" Kaoru let out a gleeful squeal and ran over to the table where the tall man with spiky, brown hair leaned. Sanosuke smiled as he pulled the toothpick out of his mouth.

            "So, Missy. How'd the shoot go?" He handed Kaoru a robe that had been on a hanger in the corner. The young woman smiled gratefully up at him as she tossed it on.

            "Fine, as usual…" She sighed, as though bored with the matter, "Let's go get some lunch. How about it?"

            "As long as it's on you," He ruffled her hair with one of his large hands, causing her to giggle. Kaoru asked him to wait while she got changed in her dressing room, and then trotted off.

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            "Boy, if I've told you once, I've told you twice. Do not, under any circumstances, let anyone in here while you're developing those pictures unless you're positive they're done!" An angry voice could be heard from all the way outside of the little photo shop.

            "Yes Sir, sorry Sir," The boy answered, closing the door to the dark room with a slight bow. Once the door was closed, he cursed himself rather loudly, sinking into the short stool by the table. He gazed across the closet sized room, staring at himself in the mirror. His bright, red hair was barely distinguishable by the base light in the room, but the dark bags under his eyes were clearly noticeable. Himura Kenshin cursed himself yet again, turning away from the mirror.

            Three years of his life he had devoted to Merryman's Photo Shop, and all three years he had spent slaving over his boss's work in the dark room. But he continued to diligently wait for some sort of promotion, or his big break that had been promised to him after leaving college. It was ridiculous, if not rather sad.

            After placing the undeveloped pictures into the solution in the trays, Kenshin picked up a magazine that he had snatched from the waiting room. It was Teen People. Kenshin rolled his eyes, but turned on his book light and opened the magazine all the same.

            His eyes widened as they set sight on something that he had never even dreamed of before. Smack in the middle of the page sat the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Cheesy as that sounded, even in his own mind, it was still the truth.

            She had long, black hair that fell in front of her face in silky strands. Her eyes… Her eyes were the most alluring part about her. They were lively and vivid, with the brightest shade of blue he had ever seen. They seemed to capture his very soul, making it nearly impossible to breath, let alone move.

            Turning the page slowly, his wide eyes were met by more pictures. It was strange though… in every single one, the woman's face was hidden. Everything except her eyes was out of view.

            Kenshin tipped the stool back in thought. Hadn't he heard of a model like that? Yes, yes he had. It had been on the news about a week ago. A young model was taking the world by storm, but, mysteriously, she never showed her face. Her name was… he looked down at the article. "Kamiya Kaoru…" Kenshin breathed.

            "Kenshin!" The familiar voice raged outside the door, causing Kenshin to jump and almost fall off of the stool, "Are those pictures done yet? Let me see them!"

            Kenshin's mind came back to him, and he quickly shoved the magazine into a corner. "Sir! You said not to let anyone in until I was sure that they were done!" He called back.

            "Well are they?" The man asked, clearly annoyed.

            "I'm not sure!"

            Kenshin heard the man grunt angrily as he banged the door once more out of anger.  "Go home, Kenshin, and I don't want to see your sorry face here ever again!"

            Kenshin sighed and began to gather his things. It didn't take long, as he didn't have much. A few pictures he had taken recently, his diploma that was proudly tacked up in the shadowy corner were all tucked under his arm. Quickly, he dashed out of the dark room, and then out of that hellhole forever. The little bell above the door jangled cheerfully as he closed the door behind him.

            Turning quickly, ready to high tail it for home, Kenshin ran smack into something, or rather… someone.

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            "Where should we go, Sano?" Kaoru asked as she finished pinning up the entirety of her hair on top of her head. The two then made their way for the studio door, Kaoru grabbing a hat and long coat from the rack.

            "I dunno," Sano shrugged, "Wherever you want to go, as long as there's lots of food."

            Kaoru giggled lightheartedly as she pulled a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of her black coat and put them on. "I know a good café by this little old fashioned photo shop. How about there?"

            Sano smiled and shrugged again, pulling a toothpick out of his pocket and placing it in his mouth. A thoughtful look came over his face as he gnawed on the splinter of wood.

            "You know, Missy, I was thinking," He began as they turned the corner. But he never finished, as a man smacked right into Kaoru. Sano was on guard instantly, ready to rip apart whatever crazed fan had some how recognized her. It didn't happen often… but when it did, Sano, bodyguard to Miss Kamiya Kaoru, was ready for it.

            Kaoru put out her hands to stop the full impact of the sidewalk from hitting her face. The landing was rough, and she braced herself for the weight of the other person to land on her, but it never came.

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            Kenshin felt himself falling. Using his quick reflexes, he maneuvered so as not to land on top of the person whom he had run into, but rather next to them. His photos rained down after him, floating through the air before landing gently onto the sidewalk.

            As he lay there for a moment, collecting his thoughts, he became aware of a large shadow looming over him. Quickly, Kenshin sprang up, only to find himself face to… er, chest with a huge, unhappy looking man.

            "I, uh…hi." He stuttered. Turning around, he looked at the person he had run into. It was a woman. She sat up slowly, as if in a daze, casting a glance at him for only a second.

            "I'm really sorry, Miss," Kenshin began apologizing. He bent down, picking up a pair of sunglasses that he assumed to be the woman's. "Here you go," He handed them to her with a smile before holding out his hand to help her up.

            The woman took the offer, smiling now too. "That's alright," She said, placing the sunglasses in her pocket. She watched as Kenshin bent to pick up the mess of papers on the sidewalk. "Oh, let me help you with that," She said softly, bending down as well.

            Picking up the closest paper to her, Kaoru was about to hand it to the man, but stopped. It was a photo… one of an old woman sitting by a window in a library. She had the saddest, most lonely look on her face… Kaoru felt drawn to the picture somehow as she stared at it.

            Slowly, Kaoru reached to grab another one at the same time that Kenshin went for the last photo. Their hands met. Kenshin looked up at the woman with a faint blush on his cheeks. Kaoru stared for a moment, finally noticing the man's strange, red hair and his wide, purple eyes. He was quite handsome. She found that she could not will her hand to move from his.

            Kenshin could not shake the feeling that there was something familiar about this woman. He had seen her before… Those vivid blue eyes.

            And then it hit him.

            "Kamiya Kaoru…" He breathed for the second time that day. Only this time, those beautifully azure eyes where not in a magazine; they blinked at him in amazement.

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Extra Author's Note: Thanks for reading this! Hope that you liked it. Now please review for me. It only takes a second, and it makes me very happy! Whee!


	2. Photographs

Author's Note: I'm glad so many of you enjoy this! Hope that you like this chapter just as much and continue to read and review and make me a happy little author! Thanks, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kenshin. Scratches out the word 'not'

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 2: Photographs

Kenshin felt something grab him by the back of his sweater and hoist him up until the tips of his feet barely brushed the ground. The unseen force turned him around, and Kenshin found himself face to face with Sagara Sanoske, famed fighter for hire and bodyguard to Kamiya Kaoru.

            Sano raised Kenshin until their noses almost touched. His brown eyes bore deep into the shorter man's purple gaze.

            "What do you want, shorty?" The gruff voice asked, his breath heating Kenshin's face.

            "I… I'm sorry." Kenshin gasped, "I didn't mean to run into her."

            "Sure you didn't…" Sano said in reply, letting go of his grip on the man's sweater and letting him fall into a crumpled heap on the ground.

            Kaoru remained crouched on the ground, watching the whole scene. Her mouth moved, forming words that she could not get out. Suddenly, she found her voice as well as her motor skills, and scrambled to her feet.

            "Sano!" She yelled, walking over to the much taller man and glaring at him. Despite the obvious size difference, Sano's face went pale as he stepped back a pace or two.

            Kaoru bent down to help the red headed man up. Taking his arm, she hoisted him back to standing. "Sorry about that," She said softly, brushing the dust off of Kenshin's sweater, "He's a little over protective." She shot another glare at Sano, who blushed as he scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

            Kenshin's senses finally returned to him as he realized that Kamiya Kaoru, super model, was brushing the dirt off of _him. _Bringing his hand up, he gently took one of her hands to stop her. A faint blush rose to Kaoru's cheeks.

            "It's alright," Kenshin said, letting go of her hand, "It's not everyday I meet someone as famous as you, Miss Kaoru."

            Kaoru smiled at this. Quickly, she realized that she still held two of the photographs.

            "These are really beautiful," She commented as she handed them to Kenshin, "Can I ask your name?"

            "Himura Kenshin," He replied.

            "Well then, Mr. Himura. Would you care to join us for lunch? I'd love to talk about how you took those pictures," She turned around and beckoned towards Sano, "I promise he won't do anything like that again. Isn't that right, Sanoske?"

            Sanoske nodded, causing both Kaoru and Kenshin to chuckle at him.

            "I'd love to," Kenshin replied.

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              "Hey Ramone, have you seen Kaoru?" The photographer looked up from the pictures he had been sifting through as he heard his name called across the studio. His eyes met a man standing by the door.

            "Ah, Enishi! You just missed her, I'm afraid. She went out to lunch with Sanosuke again." Ramone watched as the man at the door lowered his head a bit. With a sudden feeling of pity washing over him, the photographer called back to him. "Want to see some of the pictures we recently took of her? These will be the best yet, I think!"

            Enishi smiled and walked over to the short table in the corner of the studio. "Are these the ones that will be going into Vicky's magazine next month? She told me about how much she was being paid for—"

            His voice seemed to fail him as his eyes flitted across the pictures spread out in front of him. 

Shiny black hair flowed all around her perfect frame, masking her face from view. Her skin shined as well, accenting every part of her body, as the tight red bikini barely hid the necessary.

            Enishi mouthed a few words, but found that his voice was still caught. Slowly, his trembling fingers reached out to pick one up. He brought it close to his face, staring at it with wide eyes as a tumult of emotions washed through him. The most overpowering of which, being greed.

            Ramone, who had been getting some coffee from the breakfast table on the other side of the room, turned around quickly when he heard the sound of paper ripping. The sound echoed across the studio, causing everyone in the room to turn towards the source. The photographer's face paled as he watched Enishi rip a second photograph in half. His coffee slipped out of his hand, the cup falling to the ground with a hollow thump as the contents spilled out onto the floor.

            "Enishi! What are you doing?!" Ramone yelled at him, stepping over the spilled coffee and rushing towards the seemingly insane man. Enishi ignored him as he continued making his way down the table, ripping every photograph he could get his hands on.

            A few more people rushed towards the man. Ramone yanked the photos out of his hands and pushed him onto the floor as the rest of the workers scrambled to save the ones still intact.

            The photographer turned on a very dazed and rage shocked Enishi sprawled on the concrete floor.

            "What is _wrong_ with you?!" He demanded, holding up the ruined photographs for the man to see, "You destroyed them! Why??"

            Enishi took a few deep breaths. Slowly, he rose from the ground, brushing the dust off of his suit.

            "Forgive me," He said with a slight smile, "Just a little overwhelmed, I suppose."

            The photographer eyed him suspiciously, noticing that the man's hands still shook and his eyes still danced wildly. "Overwhelmed?" He asked.

            Enishi nodded. Turning around, he began to walk towards the door, as he called back, "She's not wearing enough. You guys can't publish photos of her in a magazine when she's wearing practically nothing."

            The people in the studio stared in shock as the man walked out the door and was gone. Ramone stared for a moment, eyes wide with disbelief. Suddenly, he threw the torn photos in his hand to the floor with a groan.

            "I hope she thinks twice about that one."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "So, Mr. Himura, when did you start as a photographer?" Kaoru eyed the strange man in front of her thoughtfully, taking a sip of her coffee.

            "Kenshin, please," His smile was charming, "I guess about three years ago when I got my first job as photo developer at Merryman's Photo Shop."

            Kaoru smiled, "And you worked your way up and took over the place, right?"

            Kenshin chuckled uneasily and rubbed the back of his neck, "Not exactly…" Kaoru couldn't help but notice how damn cute he was. That red hair… How it simply shined in the sunlight. Kenshin met her gaze, noticing that she was staring at him.

            And those intense violet eyes…

            "I must say, Miss Kaoru, you have very pretty, blue eyes." He said with another one of his melting smiles.

            Kaoru shook herself out of the daze he had put her in. "I'm flattered, Mr. Himura, but—"

            "Kenshin," he corrected again.

            "You seem to be dodging my question, _Kenshin_." She emphasized his name out of spite. She watched as he became uncomfortable all over again.

            "Well, you see…" He picked up his napkin and began rolling the edges with his fingers, "I was still the photo developer when I was fired today." He looked up with an embarrassed smile across his red face.

            "Oh…" Kaoru said, sorry that she had brought it up. She looked over at Sanosuke, who sat next to her. His mind was obviously elsewhere as he blatantly stared at the woman across the café with the short skirt and low cut top. Kaoru elbowed him in the ribs.

            "Ow, Missy! Why'd you have to go and do that?" He jumped, almost tipping over his coffee.

            "You're distracted, Sano," She grumbled at him, "Remember what happened last time you ignored my well being to stare at some floozy."

            Sano laughed and looked at Kenshin, "Want to hear an embarrassing model story? Oh, that was defiantly the one! I was staring at this hot chick at the movie theater we were at, and this guy comes over and pukes right in Kaoru's lap! Oh, I laughed so hard I almost sprayed cola out of my nose!"

            Kenshin chuckled, but stopped as he noticed Kaoru's face turning red. Not with embarrassment, as Sanosuke must have thought, but out of rage. Angrily, she smacked him aside the head.

            "Well, _I_ didn't find it very funny!" She growled, smacking his head again. Sano stopped laughing in an instant. He cleared his throat and mumbled an apology to the angry girl, but as soon as she turned her head, he smiled and winked at Kenshin.

            "So, you're an excellent photographer out of a job," Kaoru said, sifting through Kenshin's photos on the table and out right ignoring her giggling bodyguard.

            Kenshin nodded, "Except for the 'excellent' part. My boss always told me that my work was mediocre."

            Koaru smiled at him with a pitying look on her face, "Oh, you poor thing. These are wonderful, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, if I didn't already have a photographer, I would—"

            She trailed off as a tall, dark haired man stormed into the café calling her name. Kenshin expected Sano to jump up and drag the man out, but the bodyguard didn't even so much as twitch when the man stormed right over to Kaoru.

            "He did it again! I can't take this anymore!" The man yelled so close he practically spat in the young woman's face.

            "But Ramone…" She tried, but he would have nothing of it.

            "I QUIT!" He yelled, throwing some little bits of torn paper into the air. He turned on heal and left the café without a backward glance. Kenshin watched as the bits of paper rained down onto the table like snow. He picked a piece up, noticing that they were actually pieces of a torn up photograph. Startled, Kenshin looked up the model. Her face was flushed red with anger that welled inside her. Slowly, she took some deep breaths to calm herself down. Kenshin watched as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took…

            "Well, Mr. Himura, it seems that I have an opening."

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Extra Author's Note: Still like it? REVIEW!! It only takes a second, and I always love to hear what you think! Thanks!


	3. Of You

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been tied up with this and that. You know how it is. Anyway, the reviews have been wonderful! I'm a very happy author! Enjoy this chapter, and keep it coming, please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or InuYasha… But I did ask for them for Christmas. Hopefully Santa thinks I've been a good girl!

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 3: Of You

"Ah, Miss Kaoru… Can I ask you something?" Kenshin asked as they walked down the street towards the studio. A few hours had passed, and the sun had begun to go down.

            "Go ahead, Mr. Himura," She said cheerfully, rubbing her hands together. Sanosuke produced a pair of gloves from the pocket of his own white coat, and handed them to her. Kaoru took them with a grateful smile and a shudder due to the cold. Even though summer was only a month or so away, spring nights had not been so fair weather wise.

            "What exactly will I be doing for you?" Kenshin asked, his eyes darting around the softly lit street. He watched the people walk by, and the streetlamps flicker, and the headlights of cars drive quickly by. He suddenly wondered why he had never noticed how beautiful New York City was.

            Kaoru laughed softly, her voice melodic. "Sorry," She said finally, catching his eyes with her own and smiling, "I never told you, did I? That's alright… it'll all be explained once we get there."

            Kenshin smiled back and nodded. He returned his purple gaze to the street, pushing his hands into his pockets to protect them from the cold. His gaze fell on the tall Sanosuke, who walked a pace or two behind them now, thoughtfully gnawing on a toothpick. Anyone giving the small group a passing glance would think he was simply out for a nightly stroll to the bar. However, upon taking a closer look, one could see his eyes glaring suspiciously at anyone who came close to his charge.

            It wasn't long before they reached the small warehouse used as the studio. Of course, it was by no means 'small,' as it was the largest building on the street. But compared to the normal definition of a warehouse, being a large concrete building to store copious amounts of products, it was small-er.

            "Come on in, Mr. Himura. Welcome to Kamiya Studio," announced Kaoru as she walked in and pulled off her long, black coat and hat. She tossed both onto the rack next to the door and proceeded to glide into the room to greet her staff.

            Kenshin stood at the doorway for a second, mouth gaping at the sheer size. He had not expected to walk into such a large room with so much going on at once. A food table was set to one side of the wall, filled with fruits, cakes, and coffee machines. At the other wall, many tables were set up, displaying pictures from recent photo shoots. Kenshin noted the torn photos lying all over the floor in this area. 

And in the center of it all, lay the heart of the project. It was a massive screen used to display backgrounds on, with a beach chair set up in front of it and sand all over the floor. A few meters from this lay the camera.

            Just as Kenshin's wide eyes fell on the camera, he felt a shove from behind and a grunt. "Oi, walk forward! Can't stand out here all day, you know!" Sanosuke's gruff voice awoke him from his daydream, and he finally stepped into his new work place.

            Kenshin finally came back to his senses. Quickly, he tore off his jacket and threw it at the coat hanger (unknowingly mistaking Sano for the hanger, and tossing the item on top of his head,) and trotted briskly towards the camera.

            It was beautiful; it's black exterior shining in the light as Kenshin ran is fingers over it.

            "Magnificent, isn't it?" He heard Kaoru's soft voice behind him and turned abruptly towards her.

            "Yes, yes it is," He smiled, turning back towards the instrument to begin his inspection. Kaoru turned to get some coffee from the table, figuring that she should leave her new photographer alone with the camera.

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            "Okay, dear, here's what you need to do. I'm guessing that you already know how to use one of those, right?" Kamatari spoke to Kenshin, pointing a well-manicured finger in the general direction of the camera. Kenshin nodded to her.

            "Oh good, good. Now, our little miss will come onto the set that these wonderful people have set up for her latest shoot. This is our set designer, Misao." A short girl appeared almost out of nowhere. Her wide eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly. Kamatari ignored her and continued her instructions, "Kaoru will come out, and you just direct her for the pictures," She turned and began to walk towards Kaoru's dressing room, "I'll bring her out. Have fun now!"

            Kenshin nodded, feeling his throat suddenly go dry. What if he had no idea where to put her when she came out? What if he made a complete idiot of himself, tripped over the camera wires, and smashed the whole thing to bits? There were just so many things that could go wrong…

            The door to Kaoru's dressing room swung open, and out walked the gorgeous model Kenshin had seen in the magazines. Her steps were calculated, fluid and graceful in the red high heels. Kenshin's eyes moved upwards along her body, noting the bottom half of the bikini around her slim form. His eyes continued their travels, settling on…

            "Ack!"

            She tripped.

            "Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin called, running to her side along with Kamatari and Sano. He gently took one of her arms, and hoisted her back to her feet.

            "Stupid heels," She muttered, extremely red in the face. Kenshin couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment, or from the rate at which she had smacked into the floor.

            "Are you alright?" He asked, allowing Kamatari to wipe the dust off of the bikini rather than himself. He did, however, bring his hand up to catch a loose strand of her long, black hair and tuck it gently behind her ear. Kaoru's face went redder.

            "I'm fine, thanks," She muttered, looking down to re-adjust the top half of her bikini. Kenshin looked away, suddenly deciding that his camera needed a last minute check. These had to be good pictures, as they were the replacements for the mysteriously ripped ones that were originally to go into Vicky's summer magazine.

            Kaoru finally straightened her self out. Slowly and carefully, she made her way over to the scene. "Where would you like me, Mr. Himu… Kenshin."

            Kenshin smiled at her from behind the large camera, "Would you like to start with the chair?"

            Kaoru nodded and smiled, "Whatever you like; you're the photographer."

            Kenshin felt his heart swell with pride at that statement. He was a photographer now, free to order around beautiful women and take pictures of them in revealing red bikinis. Perhaps that had not been his heart to swell, but rather his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The photo shoot went amazing. Kenshin found that Kaoru was incredibly easy to work with. Not that he had worked with many models before (she being his first encounter of the kind) but he imagined that others were much worse. She moved every time he asked for her to move, she smiled and frowned as he asked, and she catered to his every whim as a photographer.

            "Wonderful," He breathed, snapping the last shot, "I think that should do it."

            Kaoru smiled, "Good, this is really starting to itch," And without further ado, she pulled off the high heels and trotted back to her dressing room, leaving Kenshin to deal with the mess of sand on the floor.

            Sighing, he picked up a broom from the corner and began to sweep at the stuff. Suddenly, someone called out to him from the food table. It was Sano.

            "Kenshin!" He called, downing an entire pastry, as he waited for the other man's attention to turn towards him, "Don't have to do that. We've got people…" He motioned towards the other members from the staff, holding brooms as well and eyeing Kenshin with a strange look.

            "I see," He said quietly, putting the broom back and joining Sano at the food table. "What happens next?"

            "Well," Sano shoved another pastry into his mouth and spoke in between mouthfuls, "Our guys will develop those pictures you just took, and then we'll take a look at them. You'll choose the ones you like best, then present them to the big head honcho over at Vicky's magazine."

            Kenshin was slightly annoyed by one fact; "I have people to develop the pictures for me?" He asked. Sano nodded. Kenshin's mind went to his former job, and remembered the thrill of developing his own pictures, never knowing exactly how they'd turn out. "Would it be alright if I developed them instead?" He asked.

            Sano shrugged, "Do what you want. But that'll be a few people out of a job. Missy doesn't like putting people out on the streets like that."

            "Does that mean that I have the power to fire?" Kenshin asked, his eyes wandering over the large studio.

            Sano chuckled, "You've got all the power next to Missy. Basically, you run the place. If she doesn't like the way you do it, then she'll kick your can out. That's the way it works."

            Kenshin smiled, "Then let the photo developers keep their jobs, just set them to work on something else," He took a bite of a cookie from the table, and immediately spat it out, "Ack! They should work on making better cookies!"

            Sano chuckled and patted Kenshin on the back, "I'd stay quite about that if I were you," He laughed, taking the cookie out of Kenshin's hand, wrapping it in a napkin, and tossing it into the garbage, "The Missy makes those cookies for us. Her cooking is awful, but we try to humor her. You'll get used to that taste after a while. Best not mention anything to her. She can get real nasty when you insult her cooking."

            Kenshin paled slightly, images of the small but spiteful Kaoru trying to bash his head in with a broom handle floated across his mind, "I won't say a word," He said, and tossed his napkin into the trash.

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            "Kenshin?" Kenshin heard a light knock on the darkroom door. Quickly, he walked over and opened it slightly, trying to let as little light in as possible. He found Kaoru at the door, smiling at him. "Can I come in?" She asked.

            Kenshin nodded, opening the door a fraction more so that she could slip through, closing the door behind her.

            "Sanosuke told me you were in here. Why not let the photo developers do this?" She asked, walking over to the table where the pictures sat soaking in the fluid.

            Kenshin shrugged, "I like doing this."

            Kaoru turned to smile at him, the soft red beam from the only light in the room playing across her face. "You are very different, Mr. Himura."

            "Kenshin," He corrected her patiently. Kaoru giggled at him swatting his arm playfully. "Well, I'll leave you alone then," She said, turning to leave through the door.

            Even in sneakers, Kaoru managed to trip over something. Her foot caught in a wire, throwing her off balance, and sending her hurting towards the ground, until something rather soft and familiar broke her fall.

            Kaoru clung for dear life onto Kenshin's sweater, her face buried in his chest. "Sorry," She muttered, her voice muffled by the fabric. Kenshin chuckled softly, his deep laugh vibrating through his body, sending a strange swooping feeling through Kaoru.

            Slowly, she lifted her head, her left foot still caught in the pesky wire. Her azure eyes met a bright violet gaze, and she found herself drawn towards the man holding her up. Butterflies swooped in her stomach, and her heartbeat sped up with excitement. Her body was reacting of it's own accord. She felt her head rise, her lips intending to steal his in a kiss.

            Kenshin stood still, his mind unable to comprehend what was going on. She was going to kiss him, for sure! Slowly, he began to lower his lips to meet hers.

            "Kaoru!" The door to the dark room flew open, allowing all of the light to shine through. Kaoru slipped right out of Kenshin's grasp onto the floor, letting out a loud, "Oof!"

            Kenshin cursed loudly, running towards the door, intending to push the crazed man out in a desperate attempt to save his probably already ruined pictures. 

            Behind him, Kaoru lifted her head, "Enishi!" She cried, standing up at once and walking over to the two men. Kenshin watched questioningly as Enishi threw an arm around Kaoru's waste and kissed her on the cheek.

            Kaoru flushed deeply, unwilling to look Kenshin in the eyes.

            "Mr. Himura, meet my boyfriend, Enishi Yokishiro."

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Extra Author's Note: And Enishi is introduced! Just to answer a few questions I know will be coming: 1.) Kenshin does not know that Kamatari is actually a man. 2.) I do plan on adding Misao into this story more than just the little spot she got in this chapter. Other characters will also be stirred into the mix. 3) Yes, yes you should review. Lol. Until next time!


	4. Watching Me

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took over a month to come out! December into January is not an easy month to find time for writing in. I've noticed that a lot of authors seem to be having trouble updating. I promise that this won't happen again, as I hate it when author's only update once a month, so I refuse to become one of them. Anyway, thanks for reading this and sticking with it even after the long wait. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, cross my heart.

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 4: Watching Me

"I like him," The young woman with short, black hair announced as she handed Kaoru her regular clothes, "He's calm, quiet… and so adorable!"

            The girl heard her friend sigh from inside the changing room, "Honestly, Misao, is that all you think about?"

            "He is though! Did you even look at him? I mean, who could miss that beautiful red hair, or those purple eyes? And he's so even tempered… which is more than I can say for Enishi."

            At that, Kaoru threw open the changing room door, slamming it in the process. "Misao!" She yelled, her blue eyes sparkling dangerously, "I told you to lay off it. Enishi is a wonderful, kind man." She walked over and sat down heavily on her dressing room chair.

            "Besides… he told me that once we got married I could leave the modeling business for good. He said I didn't need to show off my body to people because he would take care of me." Kaoru spoke quietly, taking a strand of raven hair and twirling it around her finger.

            "But is that what you want, Kaoru?" Misao asked, one eyebrow rose in question,  "You said that you loved every part of this business, and you wouldn't leave it for anything. Now Enishi's here telling you to become a house wife. Is that really what you want to do with the rest of your life? Stay home, cook dinner, and watch after the children?"

            Kaoru stopped twirling her hair, staring at herself in the mirror with a frown.

            "I don't know…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "So you met, Enishi, eh?" Sanosuke asked, taking the toothpick out of his mouth and twirling it between his fingers. Kenshin nodded. He had pulled a chair up to the area where the latest photos were normally displayed, trying to decide if any of the recent ones could be saved. After the incident in the dark room, most of the photos he'd taken were ruined. But with a little touching up, one or two might be salvaged.

            "Huh…" Sano grunted from his dark corner, "Interesting fellow, that guy. Kaoru is so attached to him, but I could never figure out why. He doesn't seem so stable in the head, if you ask me. I never liked him."

            Kenshin looked up at the bodyguard, a questioning look in his purple eyes. "Not right in the head?" He asked, puzzled, "How so?"

            Sano stepped out of his corner, moving to lean against the table now, "He's jealous and greedy, and he makes a big scene anytime he sees pictures of Kaoru in revealing outfits. Tears them up, and even burned a batch once. Almost set the whole place on fire. But he never does it while she's around him… We try to tell her, but she just brushes it off."

            Kenshin stared at the wall thoughtfully, "It seems that Miss Kaoru is a very forgiving and kind person."

            "Perhaps too kind and naïve for her own good," Sanosuke grunted. With that, he got up and made his way to the door. "Don't stay up too late, Kenshin. We're due here early tomorrow."

            Kenshin nodded and waved his goodbye. Turning back to the pictures, he continued to stare at them, but his thoughts were elsewhere; namely on Kaoru. How could she stay with someone so greedy? From what Kenshin had heard, Enishi was horribly mad, though the man had seemed civil when they had met earlier that night. Though, Kenshin had to admit that he did not like the man's dark eyes. They seemed to regard him with distrust and suspicion.

            Kenshin shook his head. With a sigh, he put down the ruined photos, deeming them all destroyed beyond repair. After making his way to the door, he gave the studio one last glance, and left for the night.

            Sleep tugged at him as he shut the door and pulled out his keys to lock it. After checking the knob to be sure, Kenshin sluggishly began his walk home. It was nearly six blocks from the studio, which was much longer than usual, as the photo shop had only been two.

            The street lamps lent a hazy glow to the concrete, creating deep shadows and darkening the alleyways. Kenshin walked swiftly now, placing his hands in his pockets. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow, ready for anything that the night was willing to pull on him.

            Cars passed by now and then, their bright lights causing the shadows to temporarily vanish. Kenshin watched the world around him silently, his eyelids beginning to droop with fatigue.

            "No… No, please don't…" 

            The soft, night breeze brought the words faintly to his ears, causing Kenshin to stop in his tracks. His eyes flashed dangerously as they explored the area, searching for the source. It had been a woman's voice, desperate and forlorn. He turned quickly towards the dark alley next to him, and crept silently into the shadows by the wall.

            "Shet up, ya whore!" A man's deep, gruff voice rang out, echoing off the close walls of the alley. His demeanor matched his voice, as he was disheveled and rough looking and he staggered as he walked. Kenshin watched for a moment, taking note of the fact that the man had a knife in his hand, and a pocketknife set in front pocket of his torn shirt.

            "No! Leave me alone!" The woman's voice suddenly became stronger. She rose from her former crouched position against the wall, ready to break away from the man's vise-like grip and dart out of the alley. But he held her tight; pulling her close to his body the minute she tried to run.

            "I don't think so…" He said quietly, pulling her even closer until Kenshin could see her wince as the man's breath heated her face. Kenshin moved out of the shadows now, stepping into the dim light that let through the opening of the alley.

            "Let go of her," He spoke in a commanding and clear voice, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the man.

            "Or what?" The man said, spitting on the ground at Kenshin's feet, "Wadda you gonna do about it? She's my whore to deal with, not yers, so beck off!"

            Kenshin shrugged his shoulders, "She seems quite unwilling to be your 'whore.' I think it would be best if you let her go."

            The man, keeping a firm grip on the woman's shirt, now turned the pocketknife on Kenshin, "I'll cut ya!" He yelled almost frantically.

            Kenshin turned towards the side of the alley, where he had spotted a crowbar that most likely belonged to this man. He picked it up, holding it in front of him. "This is your last chance," He said loudly, "Let her go."

            The man stared in disbelief, "Ya wouldn't da—"

            His voice was suddenly cut off as the woman's elbow drove into his gut, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Kenshin watched bemusedly as she proceeded to twist out of the man's grip, knocking the pocketknife out of his hand in the process. After kneeing him in the groin, and sending him sprawling on the ground, the woman took one frantic look at Kenshin, before diving out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk.

            Kenshin dropped the crowbar as he ran after her, hearing the metal clang off of the concrete sidewalk. He had to catch her, to keep her from being captured by another man like the one in the alley, or from something far worse. She didn't seem like a teenager, which pushed her out of runaway category. Perhaps she was indeed a prostitute… Either way, Kenshin decided that she needed his help.

            "Wait!" He called after her, hoping that she would stop. When she refused, it was easy to catch her. He gently grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop, spinning her around to face him.

            "What happened back there? Are you alright?" He asked, worry in his eyes. She seemed both terrified and angry by his actions.

            After a moment, she clearly stated, "I'm fine," and pulled her arm out of his grip.

            "But miss!" Kenshin walked after her, "You may need to see a doctor!"

            He heard her laugh at this, her voice giving the chuckle a devilish quality. She spun around, facing Kenshin once again, "I am a doctor." She said simply, and then whirled back around and continued walking, leaving Kenshin even more confused than he had been.

            "What…?" He asked, insisting on following her, "Are you sure you didn't suffer a blow to the head or anything?"

            The woman turned once more taking a few menacing steps towards Kenshin, "How dare you! I was once a family doctor, trusted and loved by many patients! I'm just… down on my luck at the moment."

            Kenshin stared at her for a moment, as if considering her story. She finally sighed, rolling her eyes, "Thanks for your kindness, but I can take care of myself." And with that, she turned and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Sounds to me like you met a prostitute, Kenshin," Sanosuke said the next day over breakfast outside of the corner café. Kenshin shook his head, staring at his reflection in his coffee cup.

            "I don't think so," He said quietly, putting down the cup to face the body guard, "She didn't seem like the harlot type.            I don't know, there was just something about her that made me believe that she was really once a doctor."

            Sanosuke chuckled, taking a bite of his pastry, "She was a whore, Kenshin. There are plenty of them in New York. Not really around here, but you find one every once in a while. They make up wild stories all the time. I think that some of them start to believe those stories after a while… It's sad, if you ask me."

            Kenshin sighed, picking his coffee cup back up and taking a long gulp, feeling it's heat warm his throat. "I guess you're right, Sano," He said softly, "I shouldn't believe everything I hear."

            Out of the corner of his eye, Kenshin saw a woman run out of an alleyway next to the café. Her long, black hair flew loosely behind her as she turned towards him. He watched as her eyes widened as if she had suddenly realized something. It wasn't long before she trotted over to the table.

            "You!" She cried delightedly throwing her arms around Kenshin as if she were an old friend, "I need help," She whispered into his ear.

            Kenshin pushed her away slightly to get a good look at her face. There was something familiar about her…

            "You're the girl from the alley last night," He said, now glancing at her white nurse's outfit. Sanosuke raised an eyebrow at Kenshin.

            "Yes, and I need help," She said, her eyes darting around nervously, "Hide me."

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Extra Author's Note: It's probably safe to guess that most of you have figured out who this mystery woman is. I'll continue to develop all of those other characters as the story goes along. Hopefully a lot more Kaoru x Kenshin fluff on the way…


	5. As Those

Author's Note: It seems that my updating skills aren't as good as they used to be. Well, I just promise that I will never leave a story unfinished, so you can always count on an update, though it may take a while sometimes. Thanks for waiting for this one, and thanks for your reviews. They are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 5: As Those

"I…" Was the most intelligent thing Kenshin could manage at that moment. His purple eyes blinked at her in bewilderment, as he stayed rooted to his spot.

"Come on," The woman grabbed Kenshin by the back of his t-shirt, yanking him out of the chair and pulling him towards her. She dragged him into the café, heedless of Kenshin's muttered protests and Sano's suspicious eyes.

They quickly turned a corner into a small hallway. Kenshin watched as they passed the men's room, turning his head just in time to see the large, "Lady's Room," sign on the door as the woman pushed it open. "Miss, I don't think that-"

"Stay quiet. I've got an idea," She whispered, letting go of the back of his shirt, only to grab him by the shoulders and steer him into the handicap stall, locking the door securely behind her. Kenshin stared, as confused as ever, as she placed her hands on her hips and clearly demanded, "Take off your clothes."

"Excu… excuse me?" He stuttered, discreetly trying to edge around her to the door. She placed her hand against the stall, and braced the other against his chest, firmly keeping him still.

"If you give me your clothes, then they won't be able to recognize me." She explained, giving him a solid push towards the back of the stall.

 "Who?" Kenshin asked. The woman rolled her eyes.

 "I'll tell you if I live long enough to do so. And if I'm going to survive this," She grabbed the front of his dark blue t-shirt, pulling him towards her assertively, "I'll need these clothes."

"Alright," Kenshin gave in, pulling the shirt over his head, "Take it, if it's the only thing that'll save you."

The woman raised her eyebrows at him for a moment before adding, "I said, _all_ of your clothes."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Sanosuke?" The melodic voice rang through the crowd. Sano recognized it instantly as belonging to his charge. In a moment, he was out of his chair and scanning the crowd for her undoubtedly masked face. He spotted her as she walked off of the sidewalk and into the café's eating area, wearing a long sleeved black top, and a knee length black skirt. Her long hair was tied back in a tight bun, as usual, and her sunglasses sat firmly on her nose.

            "Koaru?" He questioned as he pulled out a chair for her. Kaoru smiled gratefully at him as she sat down. Her eyes glanced over at the chair pulled out across for her, and the half eaten pastry and empty coffee cup in front of it.

            "Is Kenshin here?" She asked, pulling the menu out from under the napkin.

            "Uh… Yeah," Sano shrugged, sitting down himself, "He, er… went to the bathroom."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Kenshin stood, shivering slightly in the handicap stall of the women's bathroom wearing nothing but his plaid boxers. His bright red hair hung loosely about his shoulders, and he brushed it back, thoroughly annoyed. The woman had even taken his hair tie in order to tame back her raven locks.

            The dim sound of someone walking through the small hallway outside of the door could be heard. Kenshin listened as the sound traveled closer and closer, until it stopped right outside of the lady's room door. He quickly shrank to the back of the stall, as the door was pulled open with loud squeaks of protest.

            Watching discreetly through the large gab between the bottom of the door and the floor, Kenshin saw black high heels make their way across the pink tile, and vaguely wondered why he recognized them. Not only that, but there was something in the woman's step that jogged his memory as well.

            "Miss Kaoru?"

            The footsteps stopped abruptly, and silence fell in the small bathroom. Kenshin stayed quiet, hoping that he was not mistaken.

            "Kenshin?!" Her voice was shaken, as if she just had the scare of her life.

            "Yes," He answered with a sigh of relief. He leaned against the rickety stall door, causing it to shake in its hinges.

            "What are you doing in here? This is the woman's room!" She whispered. The click of her high heels could be heard coming towards his door. Kenshin chuckled nervously.

            "You know, it's the strangest story—" He began, but never finished, as the door decided that it could not longer hold his weight. The small bar used as a lock had been jittered out of place by his movements, and fell out of the holder it rested in. As the door swung open, a very surprised Kenshin fell, sprawling onto the tile floor.

            "Oh my…" Kaoru gasped, placing her delicate hand in front of her mouth. She quickly turned her back to the man, trying unsuccessfully to suppress her giggles.

            Kenshin, his face very red, slowly stood up while muttering, "Someone took my clothes."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sanosuke scanned the crowd on the sidewalk for anyone suspicious, but brought his eyes back down to his coffee cup. At this time in the morning, the only people wandering the streets were businessmen and women on their way to work. The sounds of heels and loafers clicked and padded by him as well as the sounds of people talking on cell phones, or simply to themselves.

            The jingling sound of the bell signaled to Sanosuke that someone was walking out of the café. He looked up, expectantly, hoping to see either Kenshin or Kaoru, but was met with a very different sight.

            The woman from before walked with long, purposeful strides. Sano recognized her despite the fact that her hair was tied back, and she was wearing different clothes: Kenshin's clothes.

            Sano stood up to stop her, but before he could get one word in, she passed by his table and was lost in the steadily growing crowd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "I'll bring my coat back here, and you can put that on," Kaoru said, while standing next to the door of the handicapped stall Kenshin had locked himself in once more.

            "But what about pants?" Kenshin asked.

            "Well, you still have shoes, right? You can just pretend that you're wearing shorts. There's not much of a difference." Kaoru said sensibly, smiling to herself.

            "There's a big difference," Kenshin countered, "And I'd rather not go into that. If I hadn't forgotten that I left my keys in my pants pocket, I would be able to send Sano out to my apartment to get me some more clothes."

            Kaoru laughed quietly, "Well, we're going to have to do something. You can't stay locked up in a lady's room stall for the rest of your life. We're lucky that no one else has tried to come in."

            But she spoke all too soon, as Kenshin heard the telltale squeak of the heavy door being opened.

            "Kaoru?" It was a man's voice, and Kenshin immediately recognized it as Sanosuke's.

            "Sano!" Kaoru replied, "What are you doing in here?"

            Sano stepped into the bathroom, letting the door swing closed behind him, "I went looking for Kenshin. Some woman just ran by wearing all of his clothes."

            Kaoru brought her hands to her mouth to stifle her laughter, "Kenshin, you were mugged by a woman?"

            Kenshin could feel his face heat up in embarrassment. He would have liked to tell her the truth, but the strange woman had begged him (or more so, ordered him) not to tell anyone. "Yes," He finally gave in, hearing Sano join in the laughter.

            Kaoru finally managed to catch her breath long enough to ask, "How are we going to get him home? He refuses to come out in his boxers, but honestly I don't see any difference between them and shorts."

            "There's a big difference," Sano and Kenshin said firmly.

            "Fine," Kaoru shrugged, "Then you figure out how to solve this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Take small steps, and don't saunter," Kaoru warned as she pulled Kenshin's hair back into a ponytail with her ribbon, tying it in a bow at the top of his head.

            "Yeah, and try not to talk. You're voice is too deep to pass off as a girl," Sano added, pushing more toilet paper down the front of the buttoned up coat adorning Kenshin's frame.

            After ten minutes of ideas, they had finally decided to have Kenshin wear Kaoru's coat as a top, and to wrap Sanosuke's coat around his lower half as a skirt. This way, he was not only covered, but he could walk out of the woman's bathroom without worry.

            "Do you think they're even?" Sano asked, stepping back and admiring his work.

            Kaoru glanced up from adjusting Kenshin's skirt, "The left one is slightly larger."

            Sano nodded and proceeded to shove more toilet paper down the coat. Kenshin sighed, his face as red as a tomato.

            "Come on, Kenshin, it's not that bad!" Sano patted his shoulder reassuringly, "You just have to stay like this until you get home. That's only, what… two blocks?"

            Kenshin heaved another great sigh, "Yes, only two blocks… But I don't have my keys anymore. They were in my pants…"

            Kaoru giggled again, "Well then, you'll have to come back to the studio with us. That's four blocks, but at least we can fix you up with some clothes there."

            Sano agreed, and before Kenshin knew it, he was being shoved out the lady's room door, and forced to walk out in public.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Why are you all so late?" Kamatari asked as they walked through the door, "I was starting to worry!"

            "Sorry," Kaoru answered, "Kenshin was mugged, and they took his clothes."

            "Oh you poor dear!" Kamatari ran over to the red head, engulfing him in a tight hug, apparently unaware that he was dressed in coats like a woman, "Are you alright?"

            "I'm fine, thanks," He answered, prying her fingers off of him, "We need to start this shoot or we'll never have those pictures done in time for Vicky's magazine. Kamatari, can you please get Kaoru in that red bikini while I try to find something to wear?"

            Kamatari nodded, grabbing Kaoru by the wrist and hauling her off to the dressing room.

            After wandering for a few minutes, Kenshin was able to find a pair of pants and a loose shirt to wear. Although they were women's clothes, and had been previously fitted to fit Kaoru for photo shoots, they fit surprisingly well.

            "Alright," Kenshin began as Kaoru stepped out of the dressing room, "Let's get these shots."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            It was close to midnight when Kenshin finally stopped outside his apartment door. He carefully set the pictures onto the floor, as he had decided to take them home in order to prevent further damage to them. Pulling out the bobby pin Kaoru had given him, in hopes that he could use it to unlock his door; he grabbed the handle.

            The handle turned, and the door opened. It was unlocked.

            "What the…?" Kenshin whispered as he opened the door and took a step back. He always locked his door before he left. If the door was unlocked, that meant that someone was in the house.

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Extra Author's Note: I went with more of a humorous tone in this chapter. Hope that it was at least slightly funny! Please tell me in your REVIEW, that you should. Thanks!


	6. Beautiful

Author's Note: Yes, I know. I probably deserve to be stoned to death for making you guys wait for so long… Forgive me, but work, school, and the dreaded writers block set in a dark and foggy cloud around me, and it took me this long to feel my way through it all. But now I'm out and the air is clear and crisp! Hopefully I can update more often… but we'll see. I'm sorry for making everyone wait this long, so I'm posting two chapters to make up for it. They don't seem to be up to the same caliber as the other chapters, but I tried. The writers block is still kind of sitting there torturing me… 

Disclaimer: Even after all this time, I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin!

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 6: Beautiful

Kenshin's fingers went slack as thoughts rushed through his head, and the bobby pin slipped out of his hand. The quiet thump of the pin hitting the hallway carpet barely registered to his ears, though the silence of the apartment complex was deafening. Leaving the photos forgotten on the ground, he carefully opened the wooden door, his narrowed violet eyes darting around the living room as it became visible to him.

            Silently, he took his first step into the room. After slipping in, he closed the door behind him, sliding the chain through the slot and pushing the bolt across its frame, he locked the door securely. 

            Hearing footsteps coming from his bedroom, Kenshin quickly whirled around and darted behind the couch, leaving no trace of his former presence in front of the door.

            "Alright, ya whore. Where's the stuff? Ya said that this is yer place, so why ain't it here??" The gruff voice was all too familiar to Kenshin's ears. He recognized it immediately as belonging to the man in the alley.

            "I don't know. Maybe my…boyfriend got into it and took the last of the stash." The other voice was light and held a slightly seductive tone. It belonged to the woman who had stolen Kenshin's clothes earlier that day.

            As the two exchanged words (the gruff man's being more colorful than that of the woman's) Kenshin began to creep over to the other side of the room. On the wall, he proudly displayed an old Japanese katana, worth quite a bit of money if he ever decided to sell it.

            Suddenly, there was a loud clash and a scream. Kenshin chose that moment to dive for the katana on the wall, knocking its holder off of the supporting nail. As he turned to face the man from the alley, the wooden holder slipped to the carpet with a thud.

            Narrowed purple eyes took in the situation. The woman from the café had been thrown onto the glass coffee table, smashing it into pieces. She lay unconscious atop the shards, a thin line of blood trickling from her mouth.

            Kenshin's gaze returned to the man, who brandished a knife in front of him.

            "What are you doing in my house?" Kenshin asked, his voice deeper than usual with a no-nonsense tone to it. When the man did not answer, he slowly pulled the katana from its sheath, his eyes flashing golden as the blade glittered in the light. He repeated, "What are you doing in my house?"

            The man shook his head, stepping back a pace or two towards the door. His face had gone pale and his eyes were wide as saucers. Quickly deciding that he was well over his head, the man dropped the knife and threw himself at the door, turning the knob desperately to open his escape route.

            Just as the man figured out that the door was solidly locked, but before he could slip the bolt out of its holder, Kenshin was behind him, pulling back his sword and preparing to strike. With ease he diagonally cut across the man's back. The stranger made a slight choking noise before slumping against the locked door and sliding to the floor.

            Slipping the katana back into its sheath, Kenshin's eyes lightened to their normal bright purple as he crouched down next to the fallen woman. He gently took one of her hands, checking for a pulse. He found it steady, though not very strong. Seeing a bulge in one pocket of the pants that he had given her, he reached in only to find his wallet. She had apparently used the card that he kept inside with his address in case he ever lost the precious strip of leather, and used the apartment keys he had left in the other pocket. Slowly, he reached to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear as someone knocked lightly on the door.

            "Kenshin?" The familiar voice floated through the room, filling it with warmth.

            "One second, Miss Kaoru." He said quietly, walking over to the door and pushing the body to the side. Slipping the bolt out of its place and removing the chain, he opened the door, allowing Kaoru entrance.

            "I came to make sure—Oh my… " Her innocent eyes grew wide with fear as she spotted the woman over the crushed coffee table, and wider still when she saw the man at her feet. "Kenshin… what have you done?" There were tears forming in those perfect blue eyes now, tears of disbelief and mistrust. She took a small step back, bracing herself against the doorframe as the room began to spin. Her vision grew fuzzy and her mind clouded over as she felt a faint coming on.

            "It's alright, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin tried to calm her, "I found these two in my apartment when I got home. This man," He gestured towards the fallen man by the door, "Threw that woman onto my table. I used a reversed-blade sword to stop him from getting away before I could call the police." With this, Kenshin pulled the sword out of its sheath again, smoothing his finger along the edge that should have been sharp, but was dull as a butter knife.

            Kaoru blinked away her tears and sniffed slightly as she reached out to feel the dull edge for herself. She let her fingers roll over the blade, feeling the cold steel against her skin. With a shudder, she pulled her hand away.

            "Oh thank god," She muttered, "I thought you killed them both for a minute there…"

            Kenshin smiled at her, taking her hand to help her stand upright again. "I'm going to call the police. If you want, you can go. But since my neighbors undoubtedly saw you walk in, you'll probably be wanted for questioning. I'm sorry to get you involved…" He apologized, the sincerity apparent in his eyes.

            "Don't be sorry," Kaoru said slowly, "It's not your fault I came here to check up on you… I was worried." She finished the last part almost grudgingly. As if her mouth was unwilling to say it, but her heart wanted to. She smiled up at him; "I'll stay with you until the police arrive."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Kenshin and Kaoru sat silently in the waiting room of the hospital. After finding out that the mysterious woman that lay unconscious in his apartment had no living family to speak of, Kenshin had agreed to follow her to the hospital and pay for any medical expenses. Kaoru had also decided to go with him for company.

            Kaoru had picked up a Vogue magazine off the rack and was now half-heartedly sifting through the pages. Kenshin watched, amused, as she skipped purposefully over the large article in the center of the magazine containing a nice photo spread of her and an interview.

            "Why don't you read it?" Kenshin asked, staring at the white wall across the room as if he hadn't been watching her. "They might have twisted around something you said in the interview. You wouldn't know unless you read it."

            Kaoru wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Exactly," She said firmly, "If I don't read it, then I'll never know. I'm saving myself the mental anguish."

            Kenshin smiled slightly, "What if they airbrushed a face onto one of your pictures?"

            Kaoru giggled at this and elbowed him slightly. Kenshin, finally turning to look at her, smiled at well. Their eyes caught for a moment. Kenshin realized that the idea of someone airbrushing this woman's face in a magazine was impossible, as no mortal human could ever replicate something so downright perfect.

            The two were interrupted as a doctor coughed slightly in front of them. Kenshin looked up, his eyes met by a tall, dark haired man with broad shoulders and narrowed eyes.

            "Doctor?" Kenshin asked, rising from his chair to shake the man's hand.

            "I've come to tell you that you can visit Miss Takani now," Kenshin saw the doctor's left eye twitch slightly, as if the name of Megumi Takani sickened him to the very soul,  "she's come out of her coma, and she'll be fine." With that, he turned on heal and continued down the hall.

            "What was that about?" Kenshin felt Kaoru's hand touch his sleeve gently in question. He shook his head. Together they proceeded towards the woman's room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Kaoru had agreed to stay outside the room while Kenshin went in to talk to the mysterious woman. They had learned from the doctors at their arrival that her name was Megumi Takani, and she was a nurse at the hospital.

            "Miss Megumi?" Kenshin asked, gently patting her arm to rouse her from her dreamlike state.

            "Hmmm…?" She mumbled, opening her eyes slowly and blinking in the harsh light of the hospital room.

            "I was wondering if you were up for some questions from me… I would like to find out why exactly you took my clothes and broke into my apartment." Kenshin said quietly, sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

            The woman groaned and covered her face with her hand, "It's a rather long story."

            "Well, I have until visiting hours are over," Kenshin replied.

            Unable to get out of it now, the woman grudgingly began her explanation, "Three years ago I worked for a hospital on the other side of town as their head doctor. I practically ran the place, but it was a poor hospital, and they couldn't pay me very much. So when a guy came to the hospital with a knife wound to his chest and an offer I couldn't refuse… well, I didn't refuse it."  She smiled wryly at this and continued, "I gave him prescription drugs in return for cash. I can only assume that he sold the drugs on the street, because I wasn't getting him enough. He started to threaten me. After I refused to give him any more drugs, he told the hospital about the deals I had made with him… and they fired me."

            Kenshin studied her face, making sure that there was truth in her words. Her eyes had lost their sharp, commanding glint. They were now clouded over, with a faraway look to them. The lines in her face had also deepened, the light wrinkles around her frowning face apparent under the bright lights of the white room.

            "They didn't take you to the police?" He questioned.

            "No… I was well respected there. They did me a favor and just fired me instead of getting the police involved. Afterwards, I changed my name. I got a job at this hospital, but it wasn't long before the drug lord found me again. He's been threatening me for weeks now. After I took your clothes and found your keys in your pocket and your address in your wallet, I decided to take the drug lord there and hope that you would show up and save my pitiful existence again."

            Kenshin frowned, watching her with concern, "And you have no where to go? No family?"

            "I had an apartment, but it was ransacked not too long ago. I've been too terrified to go back to it, so I've been spending my nights in central park," She spoke quietly now, her eyes drooping in fatigue. Kenshin could hardly see how much better it could be sleeping in the park rather than an apartment that had been broken into, but he decided not to say anything about it.

            "Then I have no choice," Kenshin said, standing up from his seat and patting her arm again gently, "You'll stay with me until you can get back on your feet again."

            The woman's eyes widened, brightening up with their former luster, "Are you sure?" She asked, watching him walk towards the door, "I wouldn't want to impose…" Kenshin opened his mouth to reassure her that his mind was made up, but she beat him to it, 

"…If you insist!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            "Is she going to be alright?" Kaoru asked as Kenshin stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

            "She'll be fine," He reassured her, "But because she doesn't have anywhere to go, I offered to let her stay at my apartment for a while after she gets out of here."

            Kenshin noticed that Kaoru's smile faltered ever so slightly as she nodded her approval. Her manner suddenly became uncomfortable, and she fidgeted in front of him.

            "Well, I better get home… Enishi is probably wondering where I am." She said quietly.

            Now it was Kenshin's turn to be uncomfortable. Even the slightest mention of that man made him uneasy. "Alright. Be careful going home. I'd walk you, but…" He looked over towards Megumi's room.

            "I understand," Kaoru said, turning around, "I'll see you tomorrow at work. Good night!" She called off as she trotted down the hall. Kenshin watched her retreating form until she disappeared behind a corner. Slowly, he turned in the direction of his new charge and walked back into her room.

*********************************************************************

Extra Author's Note: If there's anyone left, please review! I like to know what you think! Thanks!


	7. Blue Eyes

Author's Note: Here's the second one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: It's only been a few minutes between these posts, but I still don't own Kenshin!

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 7: Blue Eyes

"You what??"

            "Enishi, calm down…"

            "I will not! You spent the night at your photographer's house! I knew that you were up to something with him! I… I--" Enishi was cut off as Kaoru strode the length of their apartment. She had just arrived home a few minutes ago, only to be met with a raging Enishi, but she knew how to calm him down. Stopping in front of him, she put a slender finger to his lips, silencing his attempts to continue arguing with her. He paused for a moment before slowly bringing his lips down to capture hers in a gentle kiss.

            Kaoru pulled away abruptly, "I would never be unfaithful to you, Enishi, you know that. Someone broke into Kenshin's apartment, I simply stayed with him so that the police could question me, and then went with him to the hospital."

            Enishi nodded, though the fire of greed still burned brightly behind his eyes, "You are mine, Kaoru," His whispered, pulling her close to him, "No one else can have you." In one motion, he swept her off the floor, claiming her with a harsh kiss. As his arms squeezed her tightly. As Kaoru began to feel pain in his embrace, she tried to push her boyfriend off of her, but his grip only tightened. She felt him moving underneath her, and the young woman's heart flew up into her throat.

            "No!" She tried to gasp, but his mouth remained firmly planted over hers to silence her as he continued towards the bedroom.

            Desperately Kaoru began to rake her nails across Enishi's bare arms, hoping the pain would force him to release her. He had never been like this with her. Before they had moved in together two weeks ago, Enishi had been the sweetest man she had ever met. She thought she knew him inside and out…

            They had moved in together under the grounds that they would not share the same bed until they were married. She had been saving herself so that she could bestow him the greatest gift she could possibly give on their wedding night. But now… In a few moments her world was suddenly shattering like glass around her. A tear streamed down Kaoru's soft cheeks as she realized just what was going to happen.

She was about to be raped by the man she had trusted with all her heart. 

            Enishi's grip loosened, and he swung his arms around to throw Kaoru onto the bed. Her already battered body bounced across the mattress, causing her to loose her breath. Before she could even take in oxygen, his mouth was silencing her again.

            She felt his cold hands along her sides, then across her chest, finding the top button to her shirt. He lifted his mouth from Kaoru's now bruised lips, a greedy smile gracing his face as he undid the first button.

            "No…" Kaoru breathed, tears streaming from her once bright, blue eyes, now clouded over with pain.

            Enishi ignored her, continuing to unbutton her shirt. With every button, he breathed each word to her…

"You… Are…"

**_"MINE."_**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Kaoru awoke early that morning unable to move with Enishi's heavy body still lying on top of her. Slowly, and fearfully, she began to ease out from underneath him. Grabbing the edge of the bed, she used it to pull herself free, stopping ever few seconds to make sure she did not wake him. The sheer terror she felt at the prospect of him catching her was unbearable. Kaoru could feel her heart pounding as her breathing quickened with fright.

            After a few minutes, she was free… and in terrible pain. Every step she took was like an explosion running up and down her body. She suffered all the way to the full-length mirror, where she stopped, staring in horror at her body.

            Bruises covered her milky white arms and legs, black, blue, and purple blotches of various sizes marring her perfect skin. Dried blood covered the inside of her thighs, and trickled from her mouth where she had bit her lip during the tumult.

            Feeling more tears burn the back of her eyelids, Kaoru eased herself over to the dresser, grabbing her underwear, a pair of jeans, and a long sleeved shirt. Dressing as quickly as her battered body would allow her, she stole out of the room and then out of the apartment, silently hoping to never return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Kenshin awoke to the sound of a bird chirping outside his window. Cracking open one eye, he spotted the blue jay proclaiming his joy to the whole of the awakening city. The little bird's chest puffed out proudly, and his feathers ruffled in a regal way as Kenshin watched him admiringly.

            Suddenly, there was a shout from below. A rock few up, knocking the jay from his branch before he could even react. Kenshin shot up from his spot on the bed, running over to the window.

            A group of teenagers stood out on the sidewalk, yelling and laughing. One walked to the side of the building, carrying a stick in one hand. The young boy began to poke at the dying bird, motioning for his friends to come and watch the dear creature's fate.

            Kenshin threw open the window, his eyes narrowed and darkened to a deep purple. "Hey!" He yelled to the teenagers below. He would have said more, but the single shout was enough to startle the kids into running off to some other place to wreak havoc. 

            Kenshin made his way down the apartment stairs still in the white t-shirt and blue-checkered pants he slept in. His hair floated about his shoulders in waves as he descended the flight of steps, as he hadn't even taken a moment to put it up.

            Outside, the grass was slightly damp with morning dew under Kenshin's bare feet. He carefully walked over to the spot where the fallen blue jay lay, surprised to find that it's chest still moved as it took in shuddering breaths. Kenshin kneeled down, taking the bird into his hands. Some of its feathers were out of place and slightly damp from the dew. Carefully, he brushed them back into place with his finger. The bird opened its eyes at this, chirping weakly.

            "I think you're going to be okay, little guy," Kenshin whispered to it. With that, he clutched it lovingly to his chest for the journey back upstairs.

"Miss Megumi?" He knocked lightly on the door to his guest room where the woman slept. They had let her out of the hospital that night, allowing her to return home. Or in this case, to someone else's home.

            "Hmm…?" Her voice floated to him from inside the room.

            "Since you're a nurse, perhaps you can help me with something?" He asked hopefully. The bird continued to shudder against his chest.

            "What is it, Kenshin?" She appeared at the door, a bandage wrapped securely around her head where she had hit the glass table, tendrils of her long, black hair sticking out the sides, causing her to look less sultry than she usually did.

            Megumi gasped when she saw the blue jay, her delicate hands reaching out to take him from Kenshin. "What happened?" She asked sadly, running her finger along the creature's back to smooth the feathers.

            "A bunch of teenagers hit it with a rock," He answered bitterly, "Can you save him?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            After an hour or so of tending to the bird, Kenshin laid it gently down on a soft towel bunched up like a nest on the windowsill.

            "Do you think he'll live?" He asked Megumi, who rummaged through his cabinets in search of some sort of cereal.

            She looked up, walking over to the window where the jay bird lay. "I'm hardly an expert on birds, but I think it's just his wing. There may be a rib broken, that would account for the trouble he had breathing… But I don't even know if birds have ribs. Do they?" Kenshin shrugged, "Well, either way," She continued, "He's doing much better now. As long as we feed him and keep him still so that his wing can heal, I think he'll be fine." 

            Kenshin nodded, his spirits lifting. It had seemed like this day would be a bad one from the beginning. Having an innocent little bird killed on your window was defiantly not the best way to start a day. But now that it looked as though the creature would be okay, perhaps his day would get better?

"Kenshin…" A weak voice followed an even weaker knock coming from the front door of Kenshin's apartment. Both he and Megumi looked up from their places by the windowsill.

            "I'll get it," Kenshin said quietly, deeply troubled by the state of the voice outside. He had instantly recognized it as Kaoru's, but it had changed so much within the past night.

            "Kaoru?" He questioned, opening the door for her, "Are you o—" his voice failed him suddenly as he saw the state she was in. She was barely standing, tears streaming down her face. He could see dark bruises peeking out from under her sweater, and her hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in days. Her lips were a bloody and bruised mess, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

            "Kenshin…" She breathed once more, collapsing into his arms.

************************************************************************

Extra Author's Note: Well, I finally decided to let Kaoru in on the cruel truth about her overly possessive boyfriend. Sorry guys! Please review! Thanks bunches! I'll try to post another chapter ASAP. But I guess we'll see what happens with that…


	8. Smolder

Author's Note: Again, a long wait… forgive me. And this time I haven't made up for it with two chapters… But I'm going to stop apologizing every chapter. It's becoming redundant. I get busy… sigh Just know from now on if a chapter comes out late, I'm very sorry. Anyway, on another note… I'm not really sure where this story is going at the moment. I've (kind of accidentally) taken it in a different direction than I originally intended. Either way… I'm not sure if the summary I put up is accurate anymore. Well, we'll see… I'll let you guys know. For now, enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I still do not own Rurouni Kenshin…

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 8: Smolder

"We need to get her to the hospital," Megumi stated firmly as she took a blanket and covered Kaoru's unconscious form. Kenshin had taken her to the couch, waiting while Megumi gave the girl a quick and informal exam. The nurse noted the bruises on the inside of her thighs, quickly realizing just what had happened to the young model.

            "What happened to her?" Kenshin asked; his mouth set in a concerned frown.

            "She was raped, Kenshin." Megumi said quietly, striding over to the phone on the other side of the room and dialing the hospital's number.

            "Raped…?" Kenshin whispered the word quietly to himself, unwilling to believe what his senses had already told him the minute she had stumbled through the door. Carefully, he sat down on the end of the couch, reaching over to brush the loose strands of matted hair out of her face.

            "Let's go," Megumi announced, grabbing her coat from the closet in the hallway, "I got her an appointment."

            Kenshin picked Kaoru up bridal style, blanket and all. When he looked up, Megumi had already gone to hail a taxi. Slowly, he made his way to the door and then out of the apartment, cradling his fallen blue jay gently to his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            When Kaoru dimly began to wake, her mind had convinced her that the entire ordeal had been a horrible nightmare. Once she opened her eyes, she would be welcomed by her own, warm room with it's light blue walls and wooden furniture, wrapped tightly in her overstuffed down comforter.

            But, frighteningly enough for the young woman, when she opened her eyes she was met with the bare, whitewashed walls of a hospital room, tangled in a thin, scratchy blanket sitting atop a small bed.

            "How did I get here?" She asked to no one in particular, her voice quivering as she blinked to try and clear the blurry film over her eyes.

            "Megumi and I brought you," a voice to the left of the bed answered, causing Kaoru to sit up abruptly.

            "Kenshin?" She asked, now rubbing her eyes to rid them of the blur. Finally focusing, she turned her head in the direction of the voice, meeting Kenshin's worried gaze.

            "I'm here," He said quietly, taking her hand gently in his own. Kaoru was struck silent, unable to form words to describe her feelings. She was baffled… all of the events of the past few days seemed to be swirling together in a tornado of confusion and bewilderment. She found herself being sucked inside her own mind, drowning in the furiously swirling pools of her own mystified memories as she tried desperately to collect them.

            A light tingling sensation developed in the palm of her hand, drifting up her arm. Slowly, she came back down to earth, blinking at the man in front of her. Kenshin still grasped her hand, watching her with the same, worry filled gaze. His thumb traced light circles around the inside of her hand, causing the strange sensation that was beginning to consume Kaoru's body. Quickly, she pulled her hand away.

            "I… I have to leave," She stuttered, getting out of the bed. She found that she was still wearing the clothes that she had put on that morning, meaning that she hadn't been properly examined yet. Kaoru sighed in relief as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on her shoes.

            "Where are you going?" Kenshin asked, not moving to stop her physically, but trying to with his words.

            "Back to my apartment," She said crossly, as if it were obvious.

            "To tell Enishi? We already called him, Miss Kaoru. He's on his way."

            Kaoru froze, "What did you tell him?" She asked, feeling her fingers start to tremble as she laced up her shoes.

            "I told him that you were hurt, but nothing else," Kenshin said quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, Kaoru still trying to tie her shoes, but her attempts remained unsuccessful as she was trembling too much to tie a proper bow.

            Suddenly, Kenshin grabbed both her hands gently in his own, forcing her to straighten up and look him in the eyes. "Miss Kaoru…" he whispered, "Who did this to you?"

            For a moment, Kaoru was caught in his deep, purple eyes. They swirled with concern and sorrow for her, but underneath she could see gold flecks sparkling every so often, as if a demon were trying desperately to break out from behind those calm orbs.

            "I… I…" She stuttered, needing some kind of quick lie to get her out of this, but her eyes could not leave his, and once she was lost in those deep pools, it was as if all of her senses were sucked in.

            She forcefully pulled her hands from his again, willing her eyes to look away and fix on a slightly yellow spot on the ceiling just above his head.

            "I'm going outside of the hospital to wait for Enishi to take me home," She said firmly and slowly, as if she were talking to someone who was rather slow, "I'm fine. Nothing happened. Okay?"

            Slowly her eyes traveled down from the ceiling, pausing over his red hair, and then moving down to his mouth, skipping over those intense eyes. She could see his lips set in a frown, but not an angry one. He was genuinely concerned for her.

            "If that's what you want, Miss Kaoru," he ground out with effort. If it had been up to him, he would have tied her to the bed and forced her to stay for the exam to make sure that she was okay. But she was a grown woman and fully capable of taking care of herself. There was nothing he could do.

            "It is," Kaoru replied, standing up from the bed and walking to the door. She paused in the hallway, looking back to see Kenshin staring mournfully at the floor. Kaoru was struck with a sudden pang of guilt and fear at the same moment. She would have liked nothing better than to jump straight into Kenshin's strong arms and never let go; to have him protect her from everything that had gone wrong, and to help her rebuild her shattered life.

            But if she told Kenshin the truth, neither of them would be safe again. Enishi was a strong and ruthless man. Once his mind was set on doing something, he worked every fiber of his being to attain it. He would find her sooner or later… and the consequences would be far worse than they would be if she went crawling back now.

            "I'm sorry," She whispered so quietly that only her ears caught the sound. Then again, perhaps it wasn't meant for Kenshin… Perhaps she meant it to herself; a quiet apology to her body, and a silent prayer that it would keep going.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

             "What did you tell them?" Enishi demanded as he drove swerving back to their apartment. Kaoru could tell that he was drunk, as the stench of hard liquor drifted through the car.

            "I didn't tell them anything," She said quietly, staring at her fingers entwined nervously in her lap.

            "Then why did you go there? Why did they take you to the hospital?" The man continued his onslaught of questions.

            "I was scared!" Kaoru yelled, feeling tears well up in her eyes, "I didn't know what to do, so I ran! I must have collapsed in their apartment and they took me to the hospital because of all the bruises." Kaoru felt her blood firing up with fury towards her boyfriend. Suddenly, all of the pain and torment she had gone through in the past day came pouring out in the form of pure rage.

            "Do you know what you did to me?" She yelled, "You raped me, Enishi! I could have you sent to jail for that! I could call the police and they'd—"

            He slapped her. Hard.

            "Shut up, wench."

            Tears streamed freely down Kaoru's cheeks. Her face stung where he had hit her, and she brought a trembling had up to try and rub the pain away.

            "Why, Ensihi? Why?" She sniffled, trying to wipe the tears away with the back of her other hand.

            There was a slight pause before he firmly stated, "Because you are mine."

            They drove in silence until they arrived at the apartment complex. As Kaoru opened the door and stepped out of the car, Enishi grabbed her arm hard enough to cause a bruise, causing her to yelp and drop back down into the seat.

            His eyes flashed dangerously, emphasizing his point, "If you **ever **try to leave me again… I'll kill you."

            Kaoru felt her throat go dry. Slowly, she nodded, licking her parched and cracking lips nervously, tasting blood from the old wounds that had reopened. Stepping out of the car was painful for nearly every inch of her battered body. She dimly wondered if the rest of her life was going to be like this… Hiding bruises and trying to act normal in front of the neighbors even though it felt as though her body were on fire.

            She questioned now if things could have been different. Perhaps she could have avoided all of this pain if she had heeded the advice of her former photographer and dropped Enishi the first time he had ripped those pictures? But no, she hadn't believed her trusted co-worker, and now she was trapped with a man she thought she knew, in a world she didn't know.

            There was nothing she could do now. Nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extra Author's Note: It's far from the end! There's still plenty of hope for Kaoru if Kenshin has anything to do with it! He's not going to just sit there and take it! We'll see what happens… I'll update ASAP! (Oh yes, and please **review**!) Thanks a bunch!


	9. Flicker

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Back with another chapter! Thanks a bunch for reviewing, it makes me a happy little author! Anyway, I'm still working on getting this story back on track to its original plot line. That may not happen, but I hope you like the direction it's going in anyway. And fanfiction changed and now I can't use the normal dividers that I use... so I had to use those horozontal lines...Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I didn't own Rurouni Kenshin then, and I don't now. But no one can stop me from dreaming that I own it! Hahahahaaa!!!

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 9: Flicker

"We're out of cereal," Megumi grumbled, shaking the empty box of corn flakes over her bowl, watching small crumbs of corn dust drift out of the box.

"I know," Kenshin answered from the windowsill. Megumi watched as he carefully opened the blue jay's beak with his finger, inserting an eyedropper into its mouth and cradling it gently as he emptied the contents of the dropper into its gullet.

"You have enough time to dig for worms and crush them up for that _bird_, but you can't get yourself to the store to buy food? The cabinets and refrigerator are practically bare!" Megumi yelled, angrily tossing the empty box into the trash.

Kenshin remained indifferent to her yelling as he continued to feed the little blue jay, "It's not that I don't have time to go to the store," He said quietly, so as not to upset the little creature in his arms, "It's that I don't have the money to buy any. I haven't worked in two weeks since Kaoru hasn't asked us to come in."

Kenshin placed the eyedropper on the windowsill, next to the makeshift nest in which he placed the bird. Straightening up, he walked back over to the table and sat down across from Megumi, regarding her with mischievous eyes.

"Miss Megumi, if you're so unhappy with the state of my kitchen, why don't you go out and buy your own food instead of eating all of mine?" He asked innocently. Not accusing her, but making note of the fact.

Megumi stared at him with cold eyes, "Need I remind you that most of my check goes back to the very same hospital I work at in order to pay the medical bill I racked up?"

Kenshin raised his hands in defeat, "Fine, fine. I'll buy food today on my way home from work. Kaoru finally called us back, and we're shooting a spread to advertise a new designer."

Megumi raised an eyebrow at this, "So she's well again, is she?"

"I suppose so," Kenshin nodded.

"Don't you find it… odd that she refused to be examined?" Megumi said, staring off into space in wonder.

"Yes, of course I do. But what can I do about it?"

"Well, isn't it obvious who did it?"

Kenshin shook his head.

Megumi sighed deeply, "It must have been someone she's close to. If it had been someone off the street, than she would have wanted to be examined to check for STDs and to make sure that she wasn't pregnant. Does she have a boyfre… Are you alright, Kenshin?" The woman trailed off as Kenshin's eyes suddenly flashed gold. His face had gone cold and harsh, and his thoughts seemed to be distant.

But suddenly, he was back to reality with the same pleasant purple eyes. With a slight smile and a nod, he excused himself from the table. "I have to go now."

Megumi watched him, confused, "Ooookay…"

"Alright then," Kenshin said brightly, grabbing his coat and opening the door, "Bye!" And with that, he left the apartment, leaving the woman at the table terribly confused.

* * *

Once alone outside, Kenshin allowed his anger to resurface. Veering off the sidewalk, he purposefully strode over to a nearby tree. Letting loose all of his rage, he balled his hand into a fist, and hurled it at the trunk. After making contact with the tree, he stayed in that position for a moment, trying to regain control. The pain that snaked up from his hand helped to fight the demon inside, but could only subdue it for so long. Slowly, he retracted his fist from the bark, seeing blood drip from the knuckles. With a terrible growl, he hurled it into the tree once more, feeling the rough bark tear his skin. The demon refused to stay behind the wall he had so carefully built up. It raged against him, desperate to break free.

Kenshin's eyes flashed golden as he stepped away from the tree, continuing his trek down the sidewalk. He clenched his fist to his side, feeling the blood pour from the wounds and drip down, leaving bright red splotches trailing behind him on the pale sidewalk. Teeth clenched, he could only snarl one name.

"_Enishi_."

* * *

"Kaoru! How are you feeling?" Misao ran up to Kaoru just as the young model walked through the door of the warehouse. The hyper girl stopped directly in front of her boss, smiling brightly, her eyes sparkling with sheer happiness at being able to work again.

Kenshin watched quietly from the corner of the studio, pretending to be enthralled in cleaning the camera. He stared as Kaoru smiled weakly at Misao, nodding as she said, "I'm much better now, thank you."

The young girl in front of her brightened up more, if that was even possible, and began to lead Kaoru to the dressing room, chatting away about something or other. As they passed, Kenshin caught some of what she was saying:

"… that must have been some case of the flu. Two weeks in bed…"

But Kaoru was paying no attention to her. The young model's gaze instead rested upon Kenshin as they walked by. Their eyes met for one breathless moment, but it seemed as though time had stopped completely. She was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved shirt, with a rather high neckline. Jeans hugged tightly around her hips and thighs, flaring at the bottoms around her delicate feet adorned in glittering, high-healed sandals. Her raven hair flowed freely behind her, waving back and forth as she walked.

But all too soon, she disappeared behind the dressing room door. Kenshin stared after her for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and returning to his already spotless camera.

"Hey, Kenshin!" Sano came up behind him, patting him harshly on the back, "How goes things?"

Kenshin shrugged, straightening up after being stooped over the tripod for so long, and smiled slightly, "I'm alright, Sano. I suppose things could be better," He shrugged again, "But anyway, how are you?"

"Alright… Alright…" Sano said, dropping his voice to a whisper, "Hey, where's Missy? Is she alright?"

Kenshin stood still for a moment, staring at the bodyguard, trying desperately to form words to explain the situation. Should he lie as Kaoru had obviously done with Misao? Or did Sanosuke have the right to know the truth as Kaoru's protector?

Sano rose an eyebrow in question, waving his hand in front of Kenshin's face, "You okay, Kenshin? You spaced out there."

Quickly choosing one of the two options, Kenshin replied, "Yeah, I'm okay. Kaoru was sick with a bad case of the flu. I guess she's better now," He shrugged again, at a loss for anything better to do.

And, as if on cue, out stepped Kaoru from the dressing room adorned with the first expensive outfit of the day. Kenshin's breath caught in his throat as his gaze fell upon her. The dress she wore was from a rising new designer in New York who had just begun to create a name for herself with her flattering and beautiful designs. The woman, Monique Vengretta, had humbly asked Kaoru to be the first one to wear some of the designs she had created, and of course the young model had accepted. Three weeks later, five outfits had arrived at the studio, fitted perfectly for Kaoru's frame.

The dress was black, with a loose halter-top neckline that seemed to swoop from her shoulders to her bust line in a 'v' shape. The dress stopped just above knee length, where it flared out slightly, so that it swayed gently with each step the woman took. Underneath the bust was tied a large strip of deep red cloth that looked much like an obi. The designs on it were oriental in nature and accentuated the dress beautifully.

No one could have looked more beautiful in that dress, Kenshin decided. It was as if it had been made for her… Well, actually, it _had_ been made for her, but that wasn't the point.

"Breathe," Sano helpfully smacked Kenshin on the back to urge the photographer's lungs to suck in air. Unwittingly he had deprived himself of oxygen long enough to cause his face to turn a pale shade of blue.

Kaoru stopped in front of Kenshin, and the echoing of her black high heels suddenly stopped ringing throughout the warehouse. "How is it?" She asked, turning once around for him to see all sides of the dress. Kenshin seemed mesmerized by the twirling fabric of the hem of the dress around her thighs. He watched it float out and aloft, plunging down and flipping up.

Although his words came out rather shaky and crackly, much like a rusty hinge, Kenshin managed to find his voice long enough to say, "Beautiful," And saved some dignity by forcing a smile, though it came out rather lopsided.

"Well then," She said with a strained, lopsided smile of her own, "How do you want me?"

"Er…" He slurred, walking over to the background they had set up. The photographs would be set in a gallery, as if the lovely Kaoru had been admiring artwork. Though Kenshin planned to make it seem as if she were part of the gallery herself, as a beautiful piece of living artwork…

"Try standing in the center, next to that vase," he said, referring to the blue vase setting on the short, white column in the center of the area they had set up, "No, better yet, take the vase off and rest it by your feet. Now position your arms on the column. Yes, like that." He then strode over to arrange her hair in front of her face, giving her that trademark mysterious look.

But as he gently positioned each separate strand of hair, Kenshin couldn't help but notice the shadow of a bruise looming on Kaoru's shoulder. It had obviously been well covered with makeup… nothing that the camera would pick up. But where had it come from? Had she been attacked again?

Attacked by Enishi?

"Kenshin… What happened to your knuckles?" Kaoru asked quietly, without moving her position even a centimeter. Kenshin's hands froze by her face.

"Nothing… Just a little accident on the stairs," He lied, willing his hands to move again. She regarded the photographer questioningly with her soft, blue eyes… but shifted her gaze to the wall opposite him when he noticed she was staring.

* * *

The shoot had gone well, meaning everyone could go home happy for the day. Sano chewed on a toothpick as he threw on his coat and walked nonchalantly out the door. Misao stayed to chat with Kaoru for a few minutes, but soon realized that she was once again crossing that line between friendly and annoying. So she too left, leaving Kenshin developing the photos in the dark room, and Kaoru changing in the dressing room.

Kenshin had only been in the dark room for a few minutes before he heard a light knock on the door. Quickly, he jumped up and opened the door a crack, finding Kaoru standing in her former jeans and a red tank top she must have found in the closet.

"Can I come in?" She asked, though it was muffled as she had a hair tie in her mouth. Taking her hair in one hand, she took the twisty tie in the other and secured the ponytail.

"Sure," Kenshin replied, opening the door slightly more, using his body to shield the photographs from the light as she stepped into the room.

Kenshin had found that the red light in the dark room enlightened everything in a strange new way. In most cases, it accented shadows, making curves of the female body more predominant. But in some cases… it seemed to illuminate things that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

"You have a bruise on your shoulder," He announced, touching it lightly with his forefinger. It was obvious in this room; too obvious to ignore.

Kaoru winced as if he'd hurt her, but he knew that he hadn't touched it hard enough to cause pain. "I know," She mumbled, bringing a hand up to cover the mark, "I ran into a door."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow at this, "A door?"

Kaoru smiled weakly back, refusing to meet his gaze, "Yeah, a door."

Slowly, Kenshin's hands snaked up her arms until they rested lightly on her shoulders. He moved closer to her, forcing her blue eyes to meet his violet gaze.

"Please, Miss Kaoru," He pleaded with both his voice and his eyes, "Tell me who did this to you."

Kaoru turned even further away, until she was almost facing the wall, "No one did it to me. It was a door."

Kenshin spun her around, more roughly than he had intended to, but still more gentle than what she had been expecting. Kaoru shrank back, recoiling under his slight grip as if he were about to strike her.

"Look at me, Kaoru," He demanded, his voice commanding, yet still gentle. Kaoru slowly turned to look upon his face, her eyes meeting his. She was startled to find them a molten golden color.

"Whoever did this to you… we must stop them. They have no right to hurt you, they…" He trailed off as Kaoru took a step closer, wrapping her arms around his firm waist and pulling him close to her. In response, he took his hands off her shoulders to wrap them around her small frame.

"Kenshin… I don't know what to do." She said quietly into his shirt, her voice muffled slightly by the fabric, "He'll kill me. He'll kill _you_."

She pulled away, willingly looking Kenshin in the eyes. He watched her for a moment, watched her pain filled eyes moisten slightly with tears that she refused to let out. She had such a strong spirit.

It seemed as though they were being magnetically driven together. Gradually, they came closer and closer, until they were but a breath apart. Slowly, Kenshin lowered his lips upon hers. Kaoru froze for an instant, and so they remained unmoving for what seemed like a blissful eternity. And then, Kenshin felt the young model melt into his arms, as if letting all of her muscles relax at once. Kenshin released her mouth and she parted her lips slightly, taking in a shuttering breath as he gently kissed the corners of her mouth and her bottom lip. Soon, their lips found each other again, and they were locked once more in the gentle embrace of a kiss.

Suddenly, the door swung open. The abrupt harsh light invading the room caused Kaoru to yelp and jump back, nearly tripping over her own two feet. But Kenshin held her steady in his arms, willing his eyes to adjust as quickly as possible to the new light.

In the doorway stood Enishi, his dark eyes ablaze with fury.

* * *

Extra Author's Note: Another cliffhanger. I personally love cliffhangers, but I suppose that's just me… Well, whether you love them or hate them, please review! Thanks a bunch!


	10. Reflect the Past

Author's Note: An update at last! I know it's been a long time, and it's entirely my fault! Please forgive me… bows humbly I was busy all summer what with work and a trip to Italy (which was awesome, by the way), and school just started not too long ago… Either way, from this point on, there will not be another wait that long again. Oh, and to the person that I promised that this update would be out in early September… I'm sorry! Thank you for waiting!!! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don not own Rurouni Kenshin… but if I keep saving money…

Your Azure Eyes Chapter 10: Reflect The Past 

Kaoru quailed and tried to twist out of Kenshin's grip, her instincts telling her to bolt; to run anywhere away from where she was. But Kenshin held her tight, unwilling to let her run blindly into her doom, which rested in the form of the tall, white haired man standing at the door.

Without taking his eyes off of Enishi for a moment, Kenshin slowly tucked the struggling Kaoru behind him. Silently trying to calm her down and make her realize exactly what would happen if she were to race towards the exit.

"What do you want, Enishi?" Kenshin demanded, giving Kaoru's arm a reassuring and gentle squeeze. She calmed slightly, finally remaining still under his grasp. Kenshin kept his eyes glued on her former boyfriend in front of him. He noted that there was a black strap running diagonally across the man's torso, possibly containing a gun, a sword, or some other sharp weapon.

"What do I want?" Enishi whispered, his wide eyes darting madly around the small room, "I walk in on you with my girlfriend, and you ask me _what I want_?!" His voice quickly rose until he was screaming. Kenshin could feel Kaoru begin to shake in terror. His ears caught the sound of her breath coming in short gasps, with barely audible whimpers escaping her lips.

With Kaoru's utter fear fueling his fire, Kenshin's voice took on a livid tone unknown to any human ears; at least, any living human.

"You do not own her," Kenshin growled. He watched through golden eyes as Enishi took a slight step back.

Enishi stared, fear evident in his eyes. For a few moments, the tiny room remained silent, save for Kaoru's slight whimpers. Enishi seemed to be having a battle in his mind, and Kenshin watched as the man's eyes darted from one thing to another, and his lips moved as if he were muttering something to himself.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had just had an epiphany, and a crazed smile spread across his face.

"You…" He laughed, his eyes dancing madly, "I recognize you now! The red hair, golden eyes, you're him! The assassin of the Mitsurugi!" His sentences were choppy and short. Kenshin's eyes narrowed at Enishi as the insane man continued to speak. "At first they said that you were killed, but we didn't believe that, because it would have been one of our members who had done it! So this is where you really went, Battousai; this is where you came to hide!"

"What…?" Kenshin heard Kaoru gasp quietly behind him. He felt her small hands curl into his shirt as she leaned against his back, "You, an assassin?"

"That was a long time ago," Kenshin said quietly to both of them, "I'm done with those days. My life no longer requires spilling the blood of innocents."

Enishi laughed loudly, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head with madness, "So you don't deny it, Battousai!" Suddenly, he reached behind his back and pulled out a long, Japanese style sword, and raised the glittering blade with the same, sick smile upon his face and pointed it directly at Kenshin's throat, "You killed many of my friends, and I won't let you hide from your past anymore!"

The two stood stock still for a few moments, though it seemed like an eternity to Kaoru. They stared each other down, trying to make the other yield. Suddenly, Enishi took in a shuddering breath and shouted, "Take the girl!"

At that instant, Kenshin saw the dark outline of a man step into the room. Although he could not look directly at the other man, since Enishi had a sword pointed to his neck; he could watch the tall shadow out of the corner of his eye.

With padded footsteps across the floor of the dark room, unlike the clicking or thumping of shoes that normally accompanied someone walking across the small room, the large man strode over to Kenshin. Just as the man was close enough to reach Kaoru, Kenshin was ready to stop him; but Enishi prevented him from doing so.

With a loud war cry, Enishi swiped his blade horizontally at Kenshin, narrowly missing slicing his stomach open. Kenshin heard Kaoru scream behind him. Thinking quickly and out of instinct, he grabbed for the nearest weapon. Groping in the dark while dodging the occasional blind swipe of the sword, Kenshin clasped his hands around an old piece of pipe.

Quickly swinging the pipe, Kenshin smacked Enishi squarely on the shoulder to stun him. Using the few precious seconds he had attained with this move, he knocked the gray haired man to the floor with a hard stab to the abdomen.

Keeping his grip tight on the pipe, Kenshin looked desperately around the small room for Kaoru, hoping that perhaps she had hid under the desk or in the corner, but to no avail. She was gone, and so was the tall figure that had entered the room moments ago.

Yelling her name, Kenshin leapt over Enishi, sprawled out on the floor in front of the door, and ran throughout the warehouse, but she and the man were long gone from there.

Just as he was about to run out the door to check the street, he heard the whir of a blade cutting through the air behind him. Ducking quickly, Kenshin missed the be-heading blow by millimeters. But the revived Enishi was ready for the dodge, and kicked out with his foot to send Kenshin sprawling across the floor.

"I dare you to come find her, because when you do, I promise that we'll finish the job we started!" Enishi began to run out through the warehouse door, but Kenshin leapt up from his place on the floor and grabbed the arm that held the sword. Blind with desperation to prevent Kaoru's kidnapping, he was not prepared for Enishi to knee him in the stomach. As he doubled over with pain, unwilling to let go of the mad man's limb, Enishi twisted out of Kenshin's grip and brought down his blade to slash the arm that had once held him before darting out of the door.

Ignoring the searing pain in his right arm, Kenshin straightened up ran to the door, only to watch a black car speed away. Steadying himself against the doorframe, he looked down to quickly analyze the wound. It was a long gash, about from elbow to wrist, but not deep. The blood was slowly dripping from his elbow. Bright red drops shattering on the floor like fallen tears. Kenshin quickly wrapped his arm in his shirt and applied pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

The first thing Kenshin could think of was to call for help. Running back inside to call the police, he was sidetracked by a flash of white in the corner of his eye. Turning towards the door of the darkroom, he noticed a bit of cloth stuck on the doorframe. Walking back over to the door he picked up the small bit of cloth. It looked like strip of medical bandaging which had been well worn as it was yellowed and frayed on the ends.

Squeezing the cloth angrily in his hand, Kenshin pocketed it and then continued towards the nearest phone.

But suddenly he realized whom exactly he was dealing with… and what calling the police would mean. If he were to tell them the whole story, he could be arrested and prosecuted for all of the crimes he had committed long ago when he was one of 'them.' The so-called 'Chosen Ones…'

Kenshin leaned his back against the steady support of the wall, and slid down it until he was sitting upon the cold, concrete floor.

He had been chosen to join them, the Mitsurugis'. Every teenage boy wanted to be one of them… The gang offered protection to others when no one else would. Kenshin, only 15 and still naïve to the world, truly believed that they were different from the other typical hardcore gangs in the city. He had been incredibly excited when one of the gang members invited him in after hearing about his above average sword skills.

Little did he know that those sword skills would be used to brutally murder many shop owners and local families unwilling to pay their "protection money." He had also been used as the front man during brawls with other gangs for their territory… The Mitsurugis were no different from any other gang, and Kenshin wanted desperately to leave. But once you had joined them, there was no getting out unless you wished to ask for a slow and painful death.

It had been so long ago, that he didn't think he could recognize anyone from his old gang, let alone from a rival one… But they had recognized him. And now his past was coming back to haunt him, although he had thought that moving across the city and going to college for photography would somehow clear his name and leave those days firmly behind him.

With a sigh, Kenshin pulled out the strip of cloth again, testing its texture with his fingers, trying desperately to jog his memory. Who could it have been? What rival gang had Enishi and his friends been apart of?

But it was no use. He had been so determined to block out those years, that they seemed to be just a fuzzy haze in his life. From 15-17 there was a part of him missing, because he had purposefully blocked it out.

But he would have to find that part in order to rescue Kaoru…

The utter fear that Kaoru had felt when she first saw Enishi at the door of the dark room left as soon as that strange man had grabbed her. Instinct took over as she thrashed and screamed. She attempted to dig her nails into his flesh, but was hindered by a thick layer of cloth. Suddenly, she felt herself violently shoved into a car.

"Let go of me!" Kaoru demanded, her voice muffled by the thick cloth bag they had placed over her head. She tried to move her arms in order to struggle, but they were firmly tied behind her back, useless. Her legs, too, were tied together and unable to help her. With a loud sigh, she gave up the struggling, and fear began to set in again as she realized her situation. "Enishi?" She asked quietly, for some reason hoping that he was there.

"What??" He growled back at her from what seemed to be the direction of the driver's seat. Kaoru sighed quietly in relief. Although she had been abducted, and had no idea what was to become of her, at least there was something familiar around her. She had some sort of hope that Enishi hadn't the heart to kill her… Although the man who had picked her up, whose evil aura she could sense sitting in the passenger's seat, was not someone she had high hopes for at all.

'Oh Kenshin…' She pleaded silently, 'you've been so kind to me, but I've gotten myself into another mess… Please help me!'

_"And I have done you so wrong_

_Treated you bad_

_Strung you along_

_Oh, shame on myself_

_I don't know how I got so tangled up."_

_-'Tangled' by Maroon 5_

Extra Author's Note: Hopefully the next update will be really really soon. I've already got it planned out, so it shouldn't take that long. But don't quote me on that!


	11. Sparkle Defiantly

Author's Note: I've updated once again! I received quite a few reviews in the past week or two, and since I finally had free time due to Christmas break, I was spurred to write this. I still uphold the promise that I will never leave a story unfinished, even if it may take a while for me to update. I also must apologize, but I felt the need to up the rating of this story to R. I personally still consider it PG-13, but I'm terrified of the fanfiction guys removing it on me. I'm sorry about that.

Disclaimer: Never would I own such a magnificent work as Rurouni Kenshin! Lol.

Your Azure Eyes

Chapter 11: Sparkle Defiantly

The room was dark, and the acrid smell of death clung to the damp walls like the dirt and moss did. Kaoru's eyes flashed in the shadows. The single, dim light at the other side of the room did little to help her vision. She found herself staring at it, dreaming that it danced like a firefly before her eyes. She was drawn to that single light like a moth.

Every time she moved, the clanking of chains echoed off the stonewalls and rang loud in her ears. She winced, reaching her feet down, trying to touch the floor with her toes in order to ease the ache of her wrists. All of her weight rested on those chains holding her mere inches above the filthy cement floor. The initial stabbing pain she had felt the first few hours of hanging from the wall had subsided. After the blood had drained from her arms, as they were stretched high above her head, they had gone numb. She felt only a dull, yet constant ache.

Whenever the door at the top of the stairs opened, letting a steady stream of light into the dark basement, her heart leapt into her throat. They rarely fed her. It seemed the only reason one of them would come down was if they were bored or drunk and wanted to have some fun.

This time, as the door flew open and the padded footsteps reached her ears, she knew that she was about to be tortured again. The man covered in bandages, the one who had initially dragged her to the car that fateful day, shuffled over to her. She did not cringe, but dangled defiantly, her blue eyes flashing with hate towards the man.

And then he was right next to her, only inches away. She could feel his hot breath on her bare neck, since they had stripped her of her clothes, leaving her hanging shamefully in her undergarments. The pungent smell of liquor reached her nose, causing her to turn her head away from the man in order to breathe.

A slight chuckled escaped the man's lips. She did not need to watch his silhouetteilluminated by the pitiful light, but because of how close he was to her, she could sense him move. His hand came up, and his cold fingers stroked her cheek, and then moved down to her neck… Slowly they continued their decent. Kaoru began to struggle against her bonds. She had promised herself that, even though she was basically helpless in this place, she would always put up a fight when they tried something.

Suddenly, the man stopped. He grabbed her shoulder, crunching it painfully beneath his grasp. "Bitch…" He growled as his grip tightened, causing Kaoru to cry out in pain.

"You think you're so perfect, don't you?" His grip loosened, and he shuffled closer to her, till Kaoru had no choice but to look him in the eyes. "When you walk by a crowd of people, they all turn their heads for you. I've watched you. I've seen you purposefully shift your hips from side to side and flip back your hair… You know why they're looking at you." He crudely grabbed her chest, "They want your body. Whether it be a lustful wanting, or an envious one. But if any one of them were to try and take what you so blatantly offer, you would deny them." He brought up another hand to clasp her bottom. Kaoru cringed and began to struggle against the bonds on her wrists. She twisted them back and forth… Hoping that this would be the day that her unrelenting pressure on the chains would cause them to release her.

The man continued, either oblivious to her efforts, or simply ignoring them, "So why suggest it in the first place?" He drunkenly sneered at her. "Power. Your body and looks bring you unimaginable power over other people. The type of power that people like me will never know."

His hands left her body. She could see him shuffle into the purple cloak he wore over his bandages. A sharp click reached her ears as she saw the glint of a pocketknife.

"But people like me," He continued, raising the knife to her face; making sure that she could see it, "People like me can have power in another way. A way that's even more commanding that yours." Kaoru felt the cold of the knife against her check as he stroked her skin with the side of the blade, "We rule by fear. Fear that we earn."

Kaoru whimpered quietly. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"So what can I do to make you feel like you're below me, where you belong. Just because you have a pretty face doesn't make me unworthy to be in your presence, highness." He grinned. She could see the glint of his yellowed teeth in the dim light. "I can do the awfully clichéd thing. Cut up your face until you're unrecognizable…"

Kaoru let out a louder whimper, the tears streamed down her face and the need to cry burned in the back of her throat.

"But your face doesn't matter. You hide it anyway. It's this body… This body is where you get your power." He took a step back and regarded her for a moment.

"What should I do? Shall I cut off a limb? How about I write my name across that ever so perfect chest of yours…?"

Kaoru winced and turned her head away, trying to hide her tears… trying to hide her weakness.

"Oh no you don't," He growled, grabbing her chin and painfully wrenching her head so that she faced him, "You can't hide from this. It's real, just like this blade is real." Kaoru trembled in utter horror as she felt the cold steal of the blade cut a sharp line down her left arm, but she would not allow herself to make a sound.

"This isn't some magazine spread. The pain I imagine you feel is genuine." He chuckled a bit, spreading the blood along her arm that pored from her wound with the blunt edge of the knife. "Seeing your face contorted in pain is so… inspiring for me."

* * *

"Stop! State your name and business with The Master." 

Kenshin glared at the teen that so pitifully pointed the sword at his chest. He could see that the boy was literally shaking with fear and uncertainty. He must have only recently been instated the position as The Master's gatekeeper.

"I demand to speak to Katsura." Kenshin continued to stare down the shivering boy, who seemed utterly flabbergasted by the fact that this trespasser had known, let alone used, 'The Master's' given name.

"O-Only people with appointments can go in." The boy stuttered.

Kenshin sighed inwardly. He took a quick glance around the place he found himself in. The dark and dank alley was crawling with rats, mice, and the various creatures that hunted them. He had no doubt that the entire block hid gang members at every corner, just waiting to jump to the aid of this quivering teenager.

Making his decision, Kenshin took a risky step forward, clicking the reverse blade sword that hung at his waist out of its sheath. He stopped mere inches from the boy, letting the dull snapping sound of the blade popping out of its casing echo menacingly through the alley.

"I said I had business with Katsura. Let me in now, or it'll be your head." Anyone trained well enough in the art of swords and combat would have known that the words and the sword were a bluff. Making his bluff obvious saved Kenshin from the hassle of being attacked by the gang members that swarmed this building. But, he knew full well that the untrained and inexperienced youth would take his threat for real.

"O-okay!" The boy said quickly with only a moment's hesitation. He quickly unbarred the door he had been guarding, and stepped aside to allow the trespasser to enter.

But Kenshin knew it would not be this easy. He had seen the perspiration dripping down the boy's face and arms. Not necessarily out of fear, but out of anxiousness to finish the scheme he had created to stop this red headed man from entering the building.

Just as Kenshin's back was to the boy as he walked through the doorway, he was forced to twist around and unsheathe his sword to block a deadly blow aimed for a clean beheading. With a quick twist, Kenshin unlocked their swords, and a blow to the shoulder ended his troubles with the pitiful teen.

* * *

Kaoru shook uncontrollably with fear as the man in bandages ran the bloody dagger across her body, leaving trails of her own blood across her pale skin. 

"Now, what would cause the most damage…?" He muttered, watching with a sick fascination as the blood began to dry and coagulate. Kaoru stayed quiet, trying to fight back her tears, though they still rolled down her face.

"I have an idea," The man said, an evil smile appearing on his face, "Since I can't figure out which part of your body to maim, I'll just have to disfigure every inch of you. I'm sure that will shove you back in the right place."

This time, Kaoru did scream as the cold blade cut into her flesh.

* * *

As Kenshin stepped into the building, he remembered how different it was from the outside. While the grimy bricks cast a dull gray color over the building, giving it the look of an abandoned shell, the inside was bright with red silk and gold accents. The rug underneath Kenshin's feet alone was probably worth a fortune. He assumed that the gold threads that ran through it were real and of the finest money could buy. No expense was spared for The Master. 

Deliberately pushing all of his training as a Mitsurugi hitokiri out of his head, Kenshin did not bother to take off his shoes as he walked down the long hallway to the stairs. When he arrived at the top of the stairs, he shouldered past the butler, and ignored the indignant squealing of the secretary sitting outside of The Master's office. The only thing that made him pause were the guards at the door. But with a dangerous flash of his golden eyes, Kenshin was allowed entrance into the room.

"Katsura Kogoro." Kenshin growled to the back of a red leather chair that slowly swiveled back and forth.

* * *

Extra Author's Note: You may remember Katsura Kogoro as the man who told Kenshin who and when to kill from the Trust and Betrayal series. If not, then just pretend that you do! Lol. 


End file.
